India, July 18 -- Even as the Ganesh festival is nearly two months away, several dhol-tasha pathaks have already begun setting up practice pandals across different parts of the city. While preparations for the annual festival have started much earlier this year, the emergence of pandals at several new locations, particularly in the suburban areas, has raised concerns over unauthorised occupation of public spaces and inadequate enforcement by civic authorities.

A prominent example is the area opposite Katraj Zoo, where multiple Dhol-Tasha pathaks had erected pandals on the footpath. The temporary structures occupied pedestrian space, forcing people to walk on the road and causing inconvenience to commuters. Similar pandals are also coming...